Most Kolkata gyms ready to resume operations today, some prefer to wait and watch

KOLKATA: A majority of gyms across the city are set to resume operations from Thursday, albeit with a handful of members on the floor at a time and following all social distancing protocols. Others said they will wait and watch for the next few days before welcoming members again.
According to an estimate by the Gym Owners’ Forum in Kolkata, around 70% of gyms and health clubs will resume operation from Thursday. “We understand these are trying times, but somebody will have to take the lead and so some of us are resuming operations from Thursday. As of now, the response has been encouraging from the members as all our six prime one-hour slots in the morning (7am to 10am) and evening (5pm to 8pm) are already booked. We are starting with a maximum of 10 members per slot,” said Gagan Sachdev, the owner of Karma Fitness Studio chain, that has multiple outlets in the city.
Under the guidelines issued by the ministry of health and family welfare on Monday, gyms were asked to space equipment and individuals six feet apart to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It also asked owners to redesign the floor area to ensure a 4sqm area reserved for each member. The guidelines also stressed on the use of visors or face shields inside the gym.
“We have rearranged our entire gym to adhere to the guidelines. All our clients will be wearing face shields while working out and all the trainers will have face masks on throughout their stay inside the premises. We have also ensured appropriate spacing between equipment and members and will allow a maximum of 10-12 members per slot,” said Tuhin Bhattacharya of Core Gym.
“We have undertaken deep cleaning and major sanitization works at our gym, but will wait for a few more days before we start full-fledged operations. Even when we start, we shall stress more on breathing and cardio exercises with much less stress on machines and equipment,” said Neeraj Surana of Rush Fitness.
Top city clubs like Tolly Club and Calcutta Rowing Club, too, said they will take a call on resuming gym services later this month. “The way the infection is spreading, we can’t take a chance by throwing open the gym and risking the health of our members and their families. Further, at this point, we don’t even want to expose our staff to the risk of infection,” said Chandan Roy Chowdhury of Calcutta Rowing Club.
Anil Mukhrejea of Tolly Club echoed Roy Chowdhury’s concerns. “We have a large gym with a sizeable number of members. But we are yet to decide on the reopening. We shall take a call on the same sometime later this month,” he said.